Take One Step In Faith

And as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam…” NKJV (Joshua 3:15–16).

The Israelites stood at the Jordan River, its waters raging at flood stage, giants lurking in the promised land beyond. After 40 years of wandering, the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey was within reach—but the river blocked their path. God’s command was clear: “Step into the water” (Joshua 3:8). The priests, carrying the ark of God’s presence, didn’t wait for the river to part or the waters to calm. They acted in “ho pistis,” the faith that trusts God to move despite impossible odds. When their feet touched the flood, God stopped the waters miles away at a town called Adam, opening a path on dry ground to the promise (Joshua 3:16–17).

Imagine Mark, a single father, staring at a job application for a role that could transform his family’s future. Fear whispers, You’re not qualified. You’ll fail. Like the Israelites at the Jordan River, its waters raging at flood stage with giants lurking just beyond, Mark faces a barrier. God’s command to the priests was: “Step out into the water” (Joshua 3:8). Carrying the ark of God’s presence, they didn’t wait for the river to part. They acted trusting God against impossible odds, and God came through for them. As soon as their feet touched the water, it was God’s turn to act, and He did by opening a dry path to their promise (Joshua 3:16–17).

What’s your Jordan? A fear that paralyzes you? A calling you’ve delayed? A relationship needing forgiveness? Spiritual laziness tempts you to stay on the bank, waiting for perfect conditions or a guaranteed outcome. But “ho pistis” isn’t passive belief—it’s a deep trust that exercises faith to make the waters stop. You don’t need to wade in deep or have all the answers. Like the priests, you just need to take one step, carrying the Holy Spirit’s presence. Your step invites God’s power to do the impossible, bringing “sōzō”—His healing, deliverance, and salvation (Matthew 9:22).

The priests’ faith wasn’t reckless; it was rooted in God’s promise and presence. You carry the same Spirit who stopped the Jordan, who empowered Jesus’s miracles (Acts 1:8). What’s holding you back? Doubt whispering failure? Comfort keeping you stuck? Stop making excuses—God’s word is sure: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” (Isaiah 43:2). The Jordan didn’t part until the priests acted. Your miracle won’t come until you move. Today, reject timidity and exercise your faith like a muscle. Name your Jordan, trust the Holy Spirit, and take one bold step. God is already working, stopping your waters before you see it.

Father, thank You that You always go ahead of me in every circumstance and in every situation. Thank You that You always work everything to my good. I want to praise You and thank You for being a good, good Father. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Prepare To Step Out

You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, “When you have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan” NKJV (Joshua 3:8).

The Israelites faced a raging Jordan River, swollen at flood stage, with giants waiting in the promised land. God’s command to the priests was daunting: step into the water’s edge, carrying the ark of His presence (Joshua 3:8). Joshua didn’t flinch—he boldly proclaimed that when the priests’ feet touched the river, the waters would stop and pile up (Joshua 3:13). This wasn’t reckless courage; it was preparation rooted in “ho pistis,” the faith that acts on God’s word. The priests didn’t just hope for a miracle. They readied their hearts, surrendered their fear, and stood poised to move, trusting the LORD of all the earth to lead them.

Now,  picture a young woman named Sarah, standing at the edge of a turbulent river, her heart pounding. She’s been called to lead a ministry, but doubts flood her mind: What if I fail? What if no one listens? The water churns before her, much like the Jordan River at flood stage, which the Israelites faced with giants waiting beyond. God’s command to the priests was daunting: step into the water’s edge, carrying the ark of His presence (Joshua 3:8). Joshua didn’t waver—he boldly proclaimed that when the priests’ feet touched the river, the waters would stop and pile up (Joshua 3:13). This wasn’t reckless courage but “ho pistis,” the faith that acts on God’s word. The priests didn’t merely hope for a miracle; they readied their hearts, surrendered their fear, and stood poised to move, trusting the LORD of all the earth.

Like Sarah, what’s keeping you from stepping out? Fear of failure? A need for certainty? A comfortable routine? God doesn’t call you to linger on the bank, spoon-fed and timid, waiting for calm waters. Spiritual laziness—clinging to doubt or delay—robs you of His promises. The priests carried the ark, a symbol of God’s presence; you carry the Holy Spirit, the same power that stopped the Jordan and raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11). Joshua’s proclamation wasn’t guesswork but faith speaking God’s truth before the manifestation of the miracle (2 Corinthians 4:13).

Imagine Sarah again, clutching her Bible, whispering a prayer for courage. She steps forward, trembling, and shares her vision with her church. The doubts don’t vanish, but as she speaks, hearts stir, and a team forms around her. The “waters” of fear part, not because she’s fearless, but because she trusts God’s promise. Your Jordan might be a conversation you’ve avoided, a ministry you’ve delayed, or a sin you need to confess. Preparation means rejecting excuses and casting aside procrastination. The priests faced a flood yet trusted God’s command over their own eyes. God goes before you, declaring, “I will go before you and level the exalted places” (Isaiah 45:2).

Today, prepare your heart—surrender your fear, pray for boldness, and proclaim God’s promise. Like Sarah and the priests, stand at the edge of His call, ready to act and make the waters stop.

Heavenly Father, I pray for boldness and for confidence. I pray that the faith would stir deep inside me and come flowing out like a mighty river of praise, in Jesus’ mighty name, amen.

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Trust God’s Promise

And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the Ark of the LORD, the LORD of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap. ~ Joshua 3:13 NKJV

For nearly 500 years, God’s promise of a land flowing with milk and honey burned in the Israelites’ hearts, a hope passed from Abraham right down to a nation wandering in the desert. Now, they stood at the Jordan River, its waters raging at flood stage, with giants lurking in the land beyond. The promise seemed impossible—how could they cross a flooded river or face such enemies? Yet God spoke through Joshua: when the priests, carrying the ark of His presence, step into the water, the river will stop (Joshua 3:13). This wasn’t blind hope or wishful thinking. It was “ho pistis,” the faith that trusts God’s word over raging waters and towering obstacles. 

What promise has God given you? A calling to serve? Healing for a broken body or a broken heart? Restoration of a relationship or a dream? Like the Israelites, you face your own Jordans—fear that paralyzes, doubt that whispers failure, or circumstances that loom like giants. Spiritual laziness tempts you to shrug off God’s word, to stay safe on the riverbank, craving certainty before you move. But “ho pistis” isn’t passive—it’s a deep trust that believes God will do the impossible. The priests didn’t see the waters part first; they trusted God’s promise to part the waters, knowing His presence led the way. 

God’s word is sure. He promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5), and “I will go before you and level the exalted places” (Isaiah 45:2). Your Jordans don’t intimidate Him. Stop wavering—don’t let doubt or comfort keep you stuck. Trusting God means anchoring your heart to His promises, even when the waters rage. The Israelites’ 40 years of wandering ended when they believed God enough to prepare for action. Today, reject timidity. Name the promise God has spoken, whether through scripture or His Spirit, and hold fast. He’s already moving, ready to stop your Jordan before you see the waters part. Trust Him, and get ready to step out.

So, go on, believe God’s Word despite the raging waters around you or the giants that stand in your way.

Father, thank You for Your great promises. Thank You that not one fails. Thank You for always going ahead of me to clear the way and smooth the rough paths. Please, increase my faith that I might believe You for greater and mightier things. Help me always to remember that You lead the way and that You will never leave me nor forsake me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Embrace His Joy

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ~ Hebrews 12:1-2NIV

Paul tells us that Jesus endured the cross and all that came with it for the joy set before Him. What was the glory set before Him? I never really used to think about it. Before, I always kind of wrote it off as His throne, Glory, title, Heaven, etc., but then the other day, it randomly hit me out of nowhere. Jesus didn’t need to endure the cross for those things. He already had all of those things prior to the cross, prior to creation. In fact, He set those things aside for the cross. So, what was that joy set before Jesus that kept Him going and gave Him the willpower to endure the cross? Us. We were the joy set before Him.

Jesus got off His throne, set aside His Godliness, and willingly endured pain, shame, mockery, hatred, rejection, and every form of disrespect for us. We were once separated from God. In fact, we were once enemies of God, doomed to an eternity apart from Him, but Christ showed His love for us by enduring the cross.

Whenever you feel unloved, rejected, alone, and unwanted, remember Jesus endured the cross for you. He endured the shame, ridicule, and mockery for you. He could have easily taken Himself off the cross. He could have easily shown them who He is. He could’ve shed that weak, broken, hurting, aching human body and picked back up His Godliness at any moment in time, but He didn’t. One reason and one reason alone, you. You are His joy, and He is ours. The joy of the LORD is our strength. The joy of the LORD is in you. He endured everything for you, so lean on that strength, and encourage yourself in the knowledge that the LORD loves you and will do anything to protect you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Embrace His Joy.

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Keep The Faith Pure

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as LORD, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through your faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. ~ Colossians 2:6-12

In this passage, Paul urges all believers to stay firmly rooted in their faith in Christ, encouraging them to grow in Him and overflow with gratitude, while cautioning against deceptive philosophies grounded in human traditions rather than in Christ’s truth. Like preaching that Jesus was out of order 85% of the time. Or preaching a message of racism and bigotry.

He highlights that Christ embodies the fullness of deity in human form, meaning that all the attributes, power, and essence of God—His wisdom, authority, and divine nature—are perfectly and completely present in Jesus, even as He walked the earth as a man, bridging the divine and human in a way that reveals God fully to us.

We reject any religion that displaces Jesus from His rightful place as the second member of the Godhead. Likewise, we do not embrace any belief system—even one professing to be Christian—that diminishes Jesus’ divine role as Creator God to merely a human figure, or that elevates His earthly mother or His followers to the status of deity.

We keep our religion pure by not being polluted by the philosophies of this world, as James advised us to do (James 1:27). Paul goes on to use vivid imagery like spiritual circumcision and baptism to show how faith in Christ transforms believers, stripping away our sinful nature and uniting us with His death and resurrection, securing victory over sin and death through His supreme authority over all powers.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Keep The Faith Pure.

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Live A Strong Testimony

And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says “I know Him” but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him: whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked. ~ 1 John 2:3-6

Paul explained to Titus that people can claim to know Jesus, but yet deny Him with their works, or with their actions. Actions do indeed speak louder than words. Just like you witness with more than just words, you deny God with more than just words.

Paul had some choice words for those kinds of Christians. He called them insubordinate, empty talkers, deceivers, liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons, detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work. In verse 11, he writes plainly that these kinds of lying teachers must be silenced, because they were upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.

That was Paul’s own words. And you know what? We still have the same kind of preachers doing the same things today. They preach for shameful gain. Others… preach to spread a false narrative, throwing whole communities… not just families, but whole communities into confusion by preaching a lie, and thus, leading countless many astray.

They preach a lifestyle that is contrary to the Word of God. And the work that they were called to do, they won’t do. That is to keep His commandments and make disciples, teaching them to obey all that He taught us to obey (Matthew 28:20). There is no alternative lifestyle for the Christian. We will be judged on what is in the Bible, and not on what man deems is right or wrong.

Look, real love does not deceive, but rather, real love tells you the truth even if it hurts. I know that you’ve been taught that if someone does not confirm your actions, or your lifestyle, they obviously hate you, or at the least, they do not like you. And that person, or persons who tell you the truth, are judged to have a phobia. But nothing can be further from the truth.

True love corrects with love, respect, patience, and hope. True love will never watch as another soul walks towards destruction and never once open their mouth to point them to Christ. As Christians, our testimony isn’t just what we say. Our testimony is how we live our lives. Therefore, live your life in a way that when you tell others about Jesus or correct them in their sin, they will know it is from a true place of love and not one of hatred or hostility.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Live A Strong Testimony.

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Prepare For His Return For Us

18 The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor. ~ Luke 4:18-19

Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life. That is who Jesus is, and He has done all of that for us. We are living in the year of the LORD’s favor, which speaks of the fiftieth year—the year of Jubilee, because of Him.

Jubilee was the year when all was forgiven. All debts were canceled, slaves were set free, and all property, the inheritance, reverted to its original and rightful owner … And it was Jesus who accomplished all of that for us. But He didn’t leave it at that; He gave us even more …

Eternal life with Him in blissfulness. No eye has seen. No ear has heard. No mind can imagine all that God has in store for us. He’s coming back to get us one day. The day that the Apostles and the early believers called the ‘Blessed Hope,’ or our ‘Blessed Hope.’ So, be encouraged. Kindle your flame. Build His Kingdom.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Prepare For His Return.

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Love Sign

By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. ~ John 13:35

Our love for one another is a sign to the unbeliever. Why? Where hate divides… love unites. Where hate wounds… love heals. Where hate destroys… love restores. And know this: while hate may last a long time in the hearts of the broken, God’s love is eternal. It lasts forever. So, let us love one another and be as one, just as Jesus and the Father are One.

LORD, please help us to love one another and be an example to the world. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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LORD LORD

21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ~ Matthew 7:21NIV

I’ve noticed throughout the years that the identity of Christ becomes more and more skewed. More and more people twist, manipulate, and straight up lie about the identity, personality, and person of Christ. Why? To ease their own minds.

Jesus is often portrayed as a chill, peaceful, hippy who loved everybody and just wanted everyone to be happy. Others portray Jesus as an outlaw, biker gang type man who surrounded himself with only other outlaws and whores. I can’t lie, whenever I hear anyone make either of these arguments it infuriates me to my core. Why? Because each of these false representations of Christ would be corrected if only the person opened up their Bible and read even one Gospel in its entirety.

There are Christians being beaten, imprisoned, persecuted, and even murdered for reading their Bibles. Whereas we, over here in the West, especially in America, a country built on Christianity, won’t even read our Bibles to make sure our idea of our LORD, Savior, and God is Biblically accurate and sound. That infuriates me. We have so much freedom here in the West, yet we use that freedom to spout absolute foolishness about Jesus on our extremely large and influential platform and never once open the Bible to check if what we are telling our millions of audience/followers is true or not. It upsets me that we waste our time pushing a Jesus that doesn’t change anybody. A Jesus that doesn’t demand that we pick up our cross and follow Him. A Jesus that hangs out with sinners and says, “No. No. Don’t bother changing. I love you as you are.”

We no longer know Christ in the Church because we no longer read His Word to get to know Him. Jesus didn’t embrace sinners dwelling and enjoying and pushing their sin. Not one single time did Jesus ever do that. Jesus embraced every sinner that ran to Him, fell at His feet, and sought mercy. Then what did He do? He told them to go and SIN NO MORE, yet we don’t talk about that. Why? Because then we wouldn’t be able to use Jesus to defend our sinful way of living.

One day, we will all have to stand before the throne of Christ. Very early on in His ministry He was very clear, just because you know His name and believe He is the Christ the Son of the Living God, does not mean you will enter into eternity with Him. How you live your life matters.

Dear LORD, I’m sorry for all the time I’ve wasted not getting to know You. I’m sorry for every time I’ve made an excuse for my own sinful ways and tried to justify it by falsely representing who You are. I’m sorry for any time I have refused to let go of something corrupting me. Please wash me clean. Give me a new heart and renew a right spirit within me. Hear my prayer, oh LORD, and reveal Yourself to me through Your Word. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. 

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Crucify, Crucify

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ~ Galatians 5:24NIV

Yesterday, I got a massage with the massage gun for the first time in a very long time. As that pulsing gun hit my hamstring, I screamed, spun, pushed it away. I did anything I could to get away from it because it hurt. It was more than just unpleasant. Why? Because the massage guns break up muscle tension and knots. They even break down scar tissue and adhesions. So, when you haven’t felt that kind of pain in a while, it shocks your system and your brain screams “run,” which I did indeed try to obey.

This is much like crucifying the flesh. That first nail in the flesh causes it to scream and try to run away. It tries to convince you that it’s not necessary to do it. It’ll try anything to get you to stop, but just like the massage gun, the more you allow the pain to happen, the less it hurts.

The more we crucify our flesh, the easier it becomes. The more we crucify our flesh and then build up our spirit, the more we walk in the ways of the Spirit. Therefore, don’t stop at the first flinch. Don’t stop at the screams. Keep crucifying the flesh, so that the passions and desires of the flesh can no longer control you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Crucify Crucify.

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